BASIC MINDFULNESS

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Meditations

Do Nothing – Description and Practice

See Rest – Description and Practice

Hear Rest – Description and Guided Practice

Feel Rest – Description and Practice

Scanner Sounds (1.5 min and 30 min loops)

Scanner Protocol – 32.5 minutes [Exactly like one run (out of 4) in the scanner]

OTHER GUIDED MEDITATION PRACTICES [LINK]

For those interested in some simple guided meditations, there is a large selection of secular Buddhist instructors with different voices and styles, but all have similar basic approaches to helping you cultivate mindfulness, reduce suffering, and improve cognitive and emotional skills like attention regulation and emotion regulation. Keep in mind that meditative practices geared towards cultivating mindfulness are not typically intended for relaxation – they are intended to gain a sense of familiarity with one’s own mental landscape – what and where does one mind go when you let it just go. This requires a fair amount of effort, diligence, motivation, arousal (alert wakefulness), and good posture (Stephanie Nash on Good Posture [Link]) and WhatMeditationReallyIs [Link]. It is suggested that you attempt to experience these meditations in a comfortable, upright, seated position (at your desk or on the floor), but not in the supine position (because then you will simply fall asleep). Good Luck!

For those of you who would like to continue to follow the teachings of Stephanie Nash:

• Steph gives “Well-Being & Stress Management” presentations to schools & organizations all over California, teaches meditation at businesses in the LA area, and at UCLA Arts & Healing she teaches a popular workshop on how body language can affect thoughts & feelings.
• She has 2 YouTube channels (including one that features Shinzen Young’s mindfulness teachings.)
• Meditations with Steph [LINK] and Interviews with Shinzen [LINK]
• Through her non-profit, Mindfulness Arts, Steph offers workshops, community meditations and private sessions in Santa Monica, CA – as well as via Skype or phone to people all over the world.

Contact:  email:  stfnash@gmail.com; cell/text: 310-994-9039;

• (text is great if anyone needs to reach Steph immediately – especially to move a private session forward or back at the last minute)
• home/office: 310-829-9119 
  • (most private sessions will be on this line)

Basic Mindfulness System

For guided practice, instruction, and other resources by Shinzen Young or one of his other facilitators go to Shinzen.org [LINK]

Shinzen Young became fascinated with Asian culture while a teenager in Los Angeles. Later he enrolled in a Ph.D. program in Buddhist Studies at the University of Wisconsin. Eventually, he went to Asia and did extensive training in each of the three major Buddhist traditions: Vajrayana, Zen and Vipassana. Upon returning to the United States, his academic interests shifted to the burgeoning dialogue between Eastern meditation and Western science. Shinzen is known for his innovative “interactive, algorithmic approach” to mindfulness, a system specifically designed for use in pain management, recovery support, and as an adjunct to psychotherapy.

He leads meditation retreats throughout North America and has helped establish numerous mindfulness centers and programs. He also consults widely on meditation-related research, in both the clinical and the basic science domains.

• Shinzen’s YouTube Channel [LINK]